Upstate NY FF active at MD. IHOP fire

[Guest]

N.Y. Firefighter Springs To Action in IHOP Blaze

By Allison Klein

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 21, 2006; B04

Just before 2 p.m. yesterday, Steve Sulko was eating a late breakfast at an International House of Pancakes in Prince George's County, finishing a plate of eggs, bacon, corned beef hash, sausage and home fries.

Then he smelled smoke and knew it was more than burning pancakes. The volunteer firefighter in the Upstate New York town of Olivebridge saw thick plumes coming from the ceiling of the restaurant in the 4400 block of St. Barnabas Road in Temple Hills.

So Sulko stood up and in a booming voice ordered everyone out of the restaurant. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and pointed it toward the flames that had started to spring from the ceiling.

"I knew it was time to get people out," said Sulko, 53, who was in the area for a business conference. "I reacted as any fireman would react."

Twenty-three people evacuated, and nobody was hurt. Prince George's firefighters showed up quickly, and the fire was extinguished 45 minutes later. The attic and roof were gutted. Damage is estimated at $250,000, said fire spokesman Mark Brady.

The cause is under investigation. A technician was working on the heater when the fire started in the roof, Brady said.

Sulko said he wouldn't think twice about doing the same thing again. "People might say that's not my jurisdiction," Sulko said. "I'm with the fire police. I respond to anything. I think anything is my jurisdiction until we turn it over."

Edited March 21, 2006 by hoss

[Guest]

Fire Causes $250,000 in Damages at Pancake House

Mar 21st - 6:24am

AP

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. - The Temple Hills International House of Pancakes will be closed for quite a while after a fire caused $250,000 in damage Monday afternoon.

An out-of-town visitor, who happened to be a volunteer firefighter from Olive, N.Y., noticed the smell of smoke and saw flames rolling above the ceiling.

He had the building evacuated, but the fire in the A-frame building on St. Barnabas Road went to three alarms before firefighters could bring it under control. Nobody was hurt.

The blaze burned a large hole in the roof and gutted the dining room.

Someone was working on the heating system when the fire started, but investigators say the cause still hasn't been determined.

The manager say employees at the restaurant will be sent to work at other IHOP locations wile the Temple Hills store is rebuilt

.